Don't you?
by ShelbySabaku
Summary: "You love me don't you?" "It's my duty to protect you, that's all."


Don't you?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto

**Summary: **Parting is such sweet sorrow.

* * *

_The Beginning _

"She's beautiful Haruno-san." The nurse smiled at the pink haired woman who was trying to catch her breath from the hours of labor she just endured.

The new green eyed baby girl stared up at the world her eyes wide and her mouth in a perfect "o" shape.

An older brunette male smiled at the new baby girl and very gently fingered her delicate hand. "Congratulations to you both." He smiled at the extremely proud parents who were currently admiring their child. "May I ask her name?"

"Sakura," The older woman laying in the bed whispered. "Sakura Haruno."

"Beautiful." The brunette man responded.

"Thank you so much for being here Hizashi, our family truly appreciates it." The father of the new child told Hizashi.

"Of course, I'm sure Neji is excited to meet Sakura as well." He looked down to the young boy who was currently standing by his father's side holding his robes in his hands. "Would you like to say hello Neji?" Hizashi picked up his son and brought him up to the edge of the bed so he could get a better view of the infant. "Say hello Neji."

"Hello." The pale eyed two year old replied bluntly while the baby stared up at him in wonder.

The three adults laughed at the lack of emotion in the toddler's voice.

"Only two and walking and talking already? He truly is a prodigy." The Haruno male admired.

"Ah yes well only the best to protect our princess here." The older Hyuga smiled fondly at the baby.

Neji and Sakura continued staring at each other, Neji's eyes narrowed slightly at the young girl but then widened in surprise.

Sakura had reached her hand across her mother and father and grabbed Neji's hand, holding it in hers.

* * *

_Age Seven_

"Watch me climb!" A pink haired girl yelled down from a large tree and smiled widely at the two onlookers on the ground. The young seven year old girl huffed in exertion from pulling herself up the branches.

"I can climb so high! I'm almost touching the sun!" The pinkette stood up on one of the branches and lifted her arms high up in the air. "See Hizashi-san? Neji-kun?" Her green eyes seemed almost transparent as the shining sun hit them.

The older man on the ground laughed at the young girl's excitement. "Yes but you should be more safe Sakura-san!" He yelled up at her.

Sakura laughed and playfully stuck her tongue out at the two males. She continued moving along the branches and touching the leaves gently. "I'm invincible Hizashi-san! I won't fall!" Sakura exclaimed and and jumped to another branch, her foot slipping.

"Ah!" Sakura screamed once she lost her balance and started falling to the ground.

Neji's pale eyes widened in fear and his feet began sprinting towards the young girl.

"Sakura!" He screamed and leaped forward, catching the pink haired girl in his arms. He heard a distinct crack and suddenly felt a very intense pain in his ankle but he quickly ignored it. He pushed the pink hair from the young girl's face and looked into her green eyes. "Are you okay?" He breathed out his eyes wild.

Sakura nodded shyly, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "Y-You're hurt th-though N-Nej-Neji-Kun." She hiccuped and tears fell from her apple green eyes.

"Neji! Sakura!" Hizashi ran towards the two children and picked both up in his arms. "We need to get your ankle checked out Neji." He began walking towards the large Hyuga house.

"I-I'm s-sorry N-Neji-K-Kun." Sakura cried harder and grabbed his hand and squeezed it hard.

Neji ignored the pain searing in his ankle and snorted. "Stop crying you dumb girl, it's a man's job to protect a girl, it's only fate that this happened."

Once Hizashi reached Neji's room he set the two children on the bed. "You two stay there, I'm going to get the doctor." He walked out the room.

Sakura had ceased crying and now was looking at Neji curiously. Neji felt her stare and quickly looked over in her direction.

"What?" Neji asked.

Sakura's face slowly etched into a smile and she giggled slightly.

"You love me don't you?" Sakura's smile grew larger.

Neji's eyes widened and a tint of pink appeared on the nine year olds cheeks. "Of course not! Where would you get that idea!" He yelled at the pink haired girl.

Sakura titled her head to the right and a small pout appeared on her face. "Well mommy told me that she knew daddy loved her when he protected her a lot, and that's what you did! You protected me!"

Neji rolled his pale eyes at the girl, "Foolish, I'm going to be your bodyguard when we're older it's my job to protect you." He looked at the girl, "Plus, I'm a boy and you're a girl, a boy needs to protect a girl."

Sakura smiled at him and pinched his cheek slightly.

"Silly Neji, boys only have to protect the girls they _love_."

* * *

_Age 12_

"I don't think you realize how excited I am Neji."

"Sakura, we've been over this before. I understand, you're birthday is in three days, you're excited. Now will you shut up?"

A now, almost teenager Sakura Haruno rolled her eyes as she laid down on her four poster canopy bed. "Neji maybe for you it wasn't exciting to be a teenager but for me it's a life changing moment!" She jumped up and began walking around her powder blue room. "I'm closer to be an adult!" She threw her arms up in the air.

"Which also means you're closer to dying." Neji stated bluntly.

The pink haired princess placed her delicate hands on her hips and began walking towards the handsome fourteen year old brunette. "Don't be a jerk Neji." She grabbed his hands and made him follow her to her bed. "Help me plan what I should wear."

Neji raised a perfect eyebrow in question, "Shouldn't you get your mother or someone else to help you with this?"

"Mom has done enough already, I need a guy's opinion on my dress." Sakura yelled over her shoulder. "I'm going to change and I want your true opinion."

Neji looked around the powder blue room and observed the interior. The room was filled with pictures, along the walls and on the drawers. Most pictures consisted of her and him as children while some contained pictures of her and other children from her school. His eyes fell to a pink bracelet that was placed on Sakura's bedroom drawer.

"Who gave you this?" Neji held up the object and looked at the door.

Sakura poked her head out and stared at the object.

"Oh Naruto gave that to me."

"You hate the color pink."

Sakura laughed, "Well yes, but it was still an extremely kind gesture." She stepped out of the closet. "Will you zip this up for me?" Sakura asked the pale eyed prodigy.

Neji eyed the back of the dress and deemed it far too low but zipped it up none the less. Once Sakura turned around however Neji felt like he had just been hit by a blunt object.

Sakura's dress was a light green that was half shouldered and feel about two inches around the knee. It hugged her curves showing off her tiny waist. Though her hair hung messily around her shoulders there was no doubt that she looked amazing.

And Neji didn't like it one bit.

"So what do you think?" Sakura smiled and twirled slightly.

"It's too short." Neji stated simply.

Sakura looked at him surprised, "It totally isn't!" She exclaimed and examined the dress in her full length mirror.

"It is, you're showing far too much skin for a lady of your prestige." Neji replied.

"Um, in case you've forgotten Neji, Ino wore far less than this for her thirteenth birthday party." Sakura looked at her best friend.

"Ino Yamanaka is a tramp."

Sakura gaped at him, "She's gorgeous and really funny!" She replied but still laughed.

Neji ignored her comment, "You are far more attractive than her, meaning that you do not need to be revealing so much skin."

Sakura's green eyes popped open and stared at the male. An impish smile suddenly covered her face. She walked up to him and grabbed his face in both her hands squeezing.

"You love me don't you?" She smiled and placed her forehead against his.

Neji pushed her hands away and looked at her through slitted eyes. "Ludicrous accusations." He muttered to himself.

Sakura chuckled and began teasing him, "You don't want me to look hot because all the boys there will want me. You love me."

"Only dream in your sleep Sakura." Neji said and began walking towards the door. "I'll see you at your party." He looked behind him and placed a small box on her dresser drawer.

Once he exited the room Sakura examined the small box and opened it, she gasped in shock when she saw what was inside.

A small pearl ring with two emeralds on either side of it. Sakura's two favorite gems.

* * *

_Age 17_

"Neji you're such a fucking asshole!"

"Sakura, don't use such coarse language."

"I'll use fucking 'course language' if I want to! I can't believe you just did that!" Sakura screamed at the nineteen year old bodyguard.

"He was mauling you." The Hyuga said.

"We were kissing, it's not a big deal! You didn't have to punch him into the wall!" Sakura screamed.

"Sasuke Uchiha does not 'just kiss'." Neji replied, his arms crossed across his chest. "He would have tried to go further and I can not let that happen."

"I can't believe this, you're a human cock block." Sakura stared at the brunette man who did not make a sound or movement. "And what if I wanted to go further?" Sakura challenged the male who widened his eyes in surprise.

"You surely don't mean that." Neji assured himself.

Sakura screamed in frustration which echoed in throughout the hallways of the Hyuga compound. "Neji I never get asked out and it's all because of you!" Sakura pointed to him. "You being around me all the time makes guys think that we're dating or something! Or some guys are just terrified of you so they don't even look in my direction!" Sakura sighed and put a hand on her head. "Sasuke is the first guy to show interest in me and actually have the balls to act on those feelings." Sakura narrowed her green eyes, "So when he kisses me, back the hell away because that will be happening a lot more often."

Neji snorted but did not reply.

"What?" Sakura asked, her eyes still narrowed.

"That was not a kiss." Neji replied.

"Um, seeing that I was there, I'm pretty sure it was."

Neji walked up towards her and grabbed her hand bringing towards him.

"No it wasn't."

Saying that, he gently placed his mouth over hers and pressed his body against hers, forcing her against the wall. He brought his other hand to the side of her face and slanted his mouth over hers causing her to gasp in surprise. Neji then swept his tongue against the roof of her mouth causing her to shiver and he growled slightly, biting her lip. The movements were slow and sensual, unlike Sasuke's fiery kisses.

Slowly he backed away from the dazed pinkette and smirked slightly.

Sakura still had her mouth open "You just kissed me!" Sakura exclaimed.

"I just had to show you what a real kiss feels like." Neji replied and began walking in the opposite direction.

"You love me don't you?" Sakura called down the hallway, a smile now on her face.

Neji didn't respond but only looked over his shoulder and gave a smirk.

* * *

_Age 23_

"How could this happen to me?" Sakura cried, shaking while holding onto Neji's body.

"I'm sorry, but your white blood cell count has at least tripled to a dangerous level." The nurse's face was filled with pain as she observed the broken pinkette. "We'll begin treatment immediately."

Sakura wiped the tears away with her hand and looked away from her best friend. "You don't have to be here Neji, go on, you have your rehearsal dinner tonight, you can't miss that." She looked at the pale eyed male.

"You're insane if you think I'm leaving you at a time like this." He brought the pinkette's body closer to his and held her the tightest he could. "I'm going to stay with you for as long as I can." He placed his chin on top of her head and kissed it lightly.

"Ten-Ten will be mad." Sakura sniffled but held him closer.

"I don't care." Neji replied solemnly, his face showing no emotion.

"How can I have cancer?" She whispered and her breath hitched once again. "I mean just, _how?"_

"I don't know." He replied honestly, feeling her shaking.

"This sucks." She laughed horsely.

"I'll protect you, I promise." His voice was strong and sure.

* * *

_Age 24-The End_

_Beep Beep Beep_

Sakura leaned her bald head against the doctor's seat and stared at the monitor in apathy.

"It's the end." She looked at Neji and squeezed his hand.

"Don't say that, you're so melodramatic." He squeezed her hand back and put his book on the ground.

_Beep Beep Beep_

"Ten-Ten visited today, while you were out." Sakura looked up at the ceiling. "She didn't look sad though, she's so strong." Sakura whispered. "You should have married her Neji, you're such a fool." She replied softly.

"I couldn't." Neji said.

"Why?" Sakura looked at him, her face serious.

"Because."

Sakura smiled softly and kissed his hand bringing him closer to her.

"Because you love me don't you?"

_Beep Beep Beep._

Sakura felt droplets fall onto her blanket and she saw the man above her shaking. She looked into his pale eyes and saw the now shed tears falling from them.

"Yes," He whispered, "Because I've loved you for a long time."

Sakura's eyes filled with tears and she kissed his lips quickly.

"It's about time you admitted it."

_Beep Beep Beeeeeeeeeeeeeep. _

* * *

**I killed Sakura. I can't believe I just did that, but I'm feeling a little sad and I needed to write something. I'm not going to lie, I'm actually pretty content with how this turned out. It's up to you readers to be the judge though. **

**ShelbySabaku. **


End file.
